Buying a 1980 34' CHB!

What should I look out for? I am a newbie to*trawler ownership and have had a*friend and brother-in-law look at the boat but neither have or do own the same boat.* Looking for anyone who does or has owned a similar year or model for advice on what*I should look for!* Thanks, David

-- Edited by patzfan4eva on Sunday 18th of July 2010 08:27:42 PM

Ok.....who's going to go first....?

We have a Marine Trader 34, same boat. Typically with these boats the biggest issues are decks, If it has teak decks we run away, leaking windows, obvious from water stains on the wood, leaking or rusty fuel and water tanks, old frozen thru-hull valves, electrical problems, deteriorating stringers, especially under the engine, failing stern tube. That should give you some starters.

Here's a recent thread where a lot of the Marine Trader/CHB issues were discussed:

http://www.trawlerforum.com/forum.spark?aBID=115492&p=3&topicID=32225747

There* are a lot of us here* on the forum who have seen most of the stuff you might run into.* Be patient, handy with tools, or have some spare change in your pocket.* If you're looking for a relatively inexpensive way to get into a coastal cruisers these TT's have filled a lot of our needs.

-- Edited by ARoss on Monday 19th of July 2010 07:30:42 AM

ARoss brings up the term "TT"....Taiwanese Trawler for future reference.

What is a stern tube?

Isn't it where your exhaust exits the back of the boat.
Not sure I have a dry stack.

SD

-- Edited by skipperdude on Monday 19th of July 2010 09:50:45 AM

I think he's referring to the tube that the prop shaft runs through.* It's a fairly regular problem spot.

Isn't that the shaft log?

SD

Stern tube is what connects the stuffing box to the rear bearing housing. The drive shaft runs through it.
The stern tube keeps the water out.

The stern tube on the Sundowner is bronze and bedded into the keel. Threaded on both ends. If this puppy goes bad you're in world of hurt.

STERN TUBE AND STERN TUBE BEARINGS The hole in the hull structure for accom- modating the propeller shaft to the outside of the hull is called the stern tube. The propeller shaft is supported in the stern tube by two bearings one at the inner end and one at the outer end of the stern tubecalled stern tube bearings. At the inner end of the stern tube there is a stuffing box containing the packing gland (figure 4-4), which is generally referred to as the stern tube gland. The stern tube gland seals the area between the shaft and stern tube but allows the shaft to rotate. The stuffing box is flanged and bolted to the stern tube. Its casing is divided into two compartmentsthe forward space which is the stuffing box proper, and the after space, provided with a flushing connection, designed to maintain a positive flow of water through the stern tube for lubricating, cooling, and flushing. This flushing connection is supplied by the firemain. A DRAIN CONNECTION is provided both for testing for the presence of cooling water in the bearing and for permitting sea water to flow through the stern tube and cool the bearing when underway, where natural seawater circulation is employed. The gland for the stuffing box is divided longitudinally into two parts. The gland bolts are long enough to support the gland when the latter is withdrawn at least 1 inch clear of the stuffing.

whew!! Glad we got that cleared up. *

-- Edited by skipperdude on Monday 19th of July 2010 10:27:06 AM

In short, unless totally clapped out, as long as the price reflects their current state, they are usually a good buy, because they are sturdy, simple and easy to do a lot on yourself. By doing just that, my broker assures me I have doubled the value of mine, compared to the price I paid, reflecting 8 yrs of TLC & stuff, and most of that was, well...if not fun, at least satisfying to do. And at the end of it all, (not that there ever is an end really, and you need to know that from the outset, but it's all meant to be fun), you really do "know your boat", inside and out. The latter being a sort of catch phrase the every marine forecast seems to be prefixed by....and we all know what it means, but they still say it every time. Anyway, good luck looking, and happy boating once you have one. Keep us posted.

Shaft log is employed on boats w no keel just inboard of where the shaft enters the water stream.The stern tube runs through the keel from the inside of the bottom of the boat to the trailing edge of the keel. The stern tube provides a place to mount the stern bearing frequently called a "cutlass bearing" very close to the propeller for good support. The stern tube is flooded w sea water and provides a mount for the propeller shaft water seal. This seal is one of the newer dripless types or the old standby threaded sleeve w square packing.*Frequently the stern tube helps provide an internal source of water lubrication to the stern bearing.*Since the stern tube is flooded w sea water any leak that permits water to find it's way into the hull is a very serious problem. My stern tube leaked into the concrete ballast that had a great deal of small steel punchings that were added for weight. As the steel rusted it swelled and was causing a bulkhead to bulge. Had to use jack hammers to remove all the ballast in the stern, buy and install the stern tube locating it very carefully in the keel and provide replacement ballast. I used lead.
Hey Dude * *... while I ate dinner you duped my post. Oh well I decided it was different enough to merit posting.


Eric

Chb 34

ch

patzfan4eva said:

What should I look out for? I am a newbie to*trawler ownership and have had a*friend and brother-in-law look at the boat but neither have or do own the same boat.* Looking for anyone who does or has owned a similar year or model for advice on what*I should look for!* Thanks, David

-- Edited by patzfan4eva on Sunday 18th of July 2010 08:27:42 PM

Click to expand...

David, we purchased a 1979 CHB34 a year ago (Jan 2016) and we put over 240 hours on her last year cruising the San Juan islands (Washington) Gulf Islands (B.C. Canada) and up the Sunshine Coast of B.C.) with our Power Squadron from Sequim, Wa. We love the boat. We began looking for a boat in November 2015. Every week for 6 weeks we looked and was becoming disappointed. The prices are usually good, but often these boats have a lot of problems. We found the biggest problems were the Soft Spots...water damage. Our did have water damage but the previous owners had done a lot of work to repair. Our does have a lot of teak inside and out. But for me, I love it. I use Cetol for the bright work. It is pretty easy to use and the boat looks great and people comment on it all the time. For me, what I like about this boat, it is easy to work on to maintain it. I am not a mechanic by any means, but USPS classes have really helped me and members of the Power Squadron are always willing to help me. After a year working on and in the boat I am feeling pretty confident on it. Look for the soft spots ...you can push against the walls to find them. How does the engine room look...clean and maintained. And then fall in love with it.

Greetings,
Mr. Sub. Welcome aboard. Um...that thread is almost 7 years old now BUT, you've done a beautiful job on YOUR boat. 240 hours is a good amount of cruising. I have to question your photos though...Are they photo shopped? The reason I'm raising the alarm is you apparently cruise in the PNW and on TF, everyone knows it's NEVER sunny there. Just sayin'....

Hire a surveyor and decide how much $$$$$ you want to put into it.

RT Firefly said:

Greetings,
Mr. Sub. Welcome aboard. Um...that thread is almost 7 years old now BUT, you've done a beautiful job on YOUR boat. 240 hours is a good amount of cruising. I have to question your photos though...Are they photo shopped? The reason I'm raising the alarm is you apparently cruise in the PNW and on TF, everyone knows it's NEVER sunny there. Just sayin'....

Click to expand...

Haven't you heard? The PNW is the new California, we've swapped climates.

Subchief,
I really like good CHBs. Yours look good to me.

Do you know Charlie Brown? Has a super nice Albin 25. I knew him w I had an Albin.
You're CHB I'm guessing is in PA. If you come by LaConner and like showing off your boat please PM.

Greetings,
Mr. Nightsky...

Sunny PNW ...yes...

RT Firefly said:

Greetings,
Mr. Sub. Welcome aboard. Um...that thread is almost 7 years old now BUT, you've done a beautiful job on YOUR boat. 240 hours is a good amount of cruising. I have to question your photos though...Are they photo shopped? The reason I'm raising the alarm is you apparently cruise in the PNW and on TF, everyone knows it's NEVER sunny there. Just sayin'....

Click to expand...

We actually sail out of John Wayne Marina in Sequim, Washington...yes PNW...but we only get 14 inches of rain a year. We live in the Blue Hole or otherwise called the Rain Shadow...and we have the best cruising area any place...you can check our new Power Squadron website (in a couple of days) www.northolympicboaters.com the current site is coming down and a new one with lots of pictures going up.